Young Nadeshiko named Asia’s top women’s team

Skipper Hina Sugita, who was named AFC Women’s Youth Player of the Year, and teammate Yui Hasegawa won the adidas Golden and Silver Ball respectively for the tournament’s best and second best players while Makimo Matsumoto was adjudged the top keeper after conceding just once in six matches.

To become the first U-17 winners of the AFC Women’s National Team of the Year the Young Nadeshiko saw off the challenge of their senior counterparts who defeated defending champions Australia to give Japan their first taste of AFC Women’s Asian Cup glory and a DPR Korea team that gave a sterling account of themselves at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. 

“This is a very big achievement for the Japan team having won the recent FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Now we will try to foster young women players to be able to join the senior women's team,” JFA (Japan Football Association) General Secretary Hiromi Hara told www.afc.com after receiving the AFC Women’s National Team of the Year award on behalf of the Young Nadeshiko from AFC Executive Committee member Susan Shalabi Molano the closing day of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2014 Workshop on Wednesday.

“Maybe the most important factor helping us win the U-17 Women's World Cup was that many girls started playing football after Japan won the Women's World Cup in 2011. We’re getting a stronger foundation for women's football and our youth football environment is getting better,” continued Hara, who expressed his hope that more silverware will be coming Japan’s way in 2015

“Apart from the AFC Asian Cup in Australia, we will be playing in the FIFA Women's World Cup next year in Canada. We expect both teams to get good results from the competitions,” he said.

AFC Women’s National Team of the Year Award: previous winners:

2013     Korea Republic U-19s

2012     Japan

2011     Japan

2010     Australia

2009     Japan U-20s

2008     DPR Korea

2007     DPR Korea